Hooker Rhys Thomas is rested having played every game this season, so 20-year-old Rhys Williams makes just his second league start, while John Yapp reverts to loose-head prop, with Gethin Jenkins having been suffering from flu all week.

Director of rugby Dai Young admits he is worried about this evening’s encounter with in-form Connacht, who have been the surprise packages of the season to date.

The men from Galway lie fifth in the league table, having recorded notable victories over the Dragons and Glasgow, while drawing with Ulster, with their only defeat being a last-gasp reverse at the Scarlets.

“They are always a difficult team to play against and they’ve played some great stuff this year,” said Young.

“They were only 30 seconds away from being unbeaten , so I’m a little bit worried about this match.

“They have always been a potential banana skin for everybody because of their work-rate, commitment and desire.

“That’s the first thing we will have to match, but they have also added a little bit of quality and innovation to their game which makes it a little bit more difficult.

“But I’d like to think if we can match what they bring, that we’ve got that bit of extra quality in our side that can take us home.”

Young goes into the game buoyed by the Treviso triumph, which has lifted the Blues to third in the table.

“I was very proud of the boys out there,” he said.

“Some of the defensive play we had shown in the first couple of games was certainly put to bed.

“We have shown throughout the year that we can score tries. With ball in hand we’ve done really well, but we’ve been disappointed with how we’ve leaked some silly tries.

“But certainly a lot of that was put right on the weekend.

“The boys just wouldn’t buckle under the pressure. It was certainly one of the big performances we’ve had over the years.”